The Best Bike Helmets for Every Type of Cyclist

Choosing the right helmet is as important as choosing the right bike. You want something that fits the way you ride, your style, and your budget. There are three main types, and you can find excellent examples of each: Road helmets are sleek and prioritize venting and low weight. Mountain bike helmets provide more coverage because crashes are more likely and usually have a visor. Commuter and everyday helmets offer a bit more casual style and less venting, since you’ll typically be sweating less in them.

All helmets sold in the US meet the same basic safety standards. Beyond that you’re paying for features: Better ventilation, lower weight, enhanced fit systems, and nicer designs. Some helmets do offer added safety features to protect against brain injuries, but know that any helmet you buy will protect your skull the same way against an impact. So you don’t necessarily need to spend a lot to get a good helmet.

Helmet Safety Standards

The growing concern over concussion and head injuries has led to better research, new helmet technologies, and improved testing protocols. However, the only mandatory certification standard in the USA is the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), required for all helmets sold here. This certification should be found on a label applied on the inside of the helmet.

Some companies test helmets to additional standards, whether through their in-house lab or third parties. Virginia Tech’s Helmet Institute also does independent testing that takes into account impact angles, friction, and rotational forces. Those tests better predict whether a helmet can help prevent concussions. It is important to note, that an expensive helmet is not necessarily safer than a less expensive model. While many of the helmets that receive Virginia Tech’s highest safety rating contain MIPS and other technologies to make helmets safety, several budget helmets also rank highly.

MIPS and WaveCel

Some companies have been developing technologies to reduce the risk of concussions. MIPS, which stands for Multi-Directional Impact Protection System, is basically a low-friction layer built into the helmet that allows the helmet to rotate on your head, diminishing rotational forces. MIPS can be found in helmets from several manufacturers. Bontrager uses an exclusive technology in some of its newest helmets, called WaveCel, which is a thick layer comprised of polyester that crumples and flexes on impact. Smith has a similar construction it calls Koroyd, and several other brands offer slip planes similar to MIPS.

Connected Tech

Yes, helmets are connected now, too. Specialized has a new tech called ANGi that pairs with a smartphone app to monitor your activity. Sensors in the helmet can detect abrupt decelerations in the event of a crash and alert your emergency contacts that you may be injured and send them your location. It can also let them follow your ride it real-time, if you wish.

How We Evaluated These Helmets

The helmets on this list have been thoroughly evaluated and vetted by our team of test editors. We research the market, survey user reviews, speak with product managers and engineers, and use our own experience riding in these helmets—and even crashing in some of them—to determine the best options. Our team of experienced testers spent many hours and miles wearing these helmets on the road, on the trail, on commutes, and at the bike park. We evaluated them on performance, value, fit, comfort, ventilation, aerodynamics, adjustability, and aesthetics to come up with the models that best serve every budget and every kind of rider.

For decades, bike helmets used simple foam to protect your precious noggin. Then came advanced safety systems like the MIPS protection layer. With a new line of helmets for 2019, Bontrager introduced Wavecel, a copolymer that it claims can drastically reduce the risk of concussion. The Wavecel material looks like a plastic honeycomb. The material will flex, crumple, or glide when hit with the force of impact, guiding the rotation energy away from your skull. Bontrager (which is owned by Trek Bicycles) put this material into four models: The traditional Specter model, the XXX Road model for serious racers, the Blaze MTB for mountain bikers, and an all-new urban model called the Charge Wavecel Commuter.

Price: $325If you're really serious about cycling, you're probably looking at higher-end helmets that promise great aerodynamics in addition to solid protection. Our colleagues at Bicycling named the Aether as one of its top choices for better ventilation and aerodynamic performance. It's a serious step up over Giros previous (and excellent) model, the Synthe.

If you’re a regular commuter (or just thinking of starting) Nutcase’s street helmet has everything you need. It has a nice casual style, and models like this one are available with MIPS at a fairly affordable $110. It’s available in several colors with or without graphics—from basic gray and black to the Union Jack. The helmet also comes with a removable visor, and it’s certified for skateboard use as well, so you pedal to the skatepark and session without ever changing your helmet.

The Montaro is a trail-ready helmet with a MIPS liner and an integrated, break-away camera mount. Featuring Giro’s easy-to-use Roc Loc retention system, fitting the helmet is fast and simple. Utilizing anti-odor pads minimizes the risk of stinky helmet syndrome, and the 16 vents will keep air moving around your head on hot days. The Montaro also has a nice visor adjustment system so it’s easy to fit goggles. To keep those goggles in place in extreme conditions there are strap grippers on the back of the helmet.

If you're not a fan of traditional-style bike helmets, consider a more commuter-focused helmet like this one from Bern. What you lose in aerodynamics you gain in versatility. Last year we chose the Bern Brentwood as one of our top helmets, and we like the Allston for its exceptional performance at a low price. Plus, you get 16 vents to help your head stay cool.

While many helmets offer MIPS to help protect your brain, Specialized goes a step further, offering fully connected helmets that can tell your phone to send out an emergency message if you've been in a crash. Available in several models, ANGi, uses a small sensor on the rear of the helmet that connects to an app on your phone to send out vital information and alerts. The Prevail II helmet is the company’s premium road offering, but you can also find ANGi on mountain and city options, or purchase it separately ($50) add it to any other 2019 Specialized helmet.

Bell’s latest road helmet is its best yet. Fit is always subjective, but this helmet has everything needed for a secure and comfy ride. It’s sleek, compact, light and has a ton of airy vents that help keep you cool when you’re redlining during swampy summer rides. You also get the extra protection of MIPS, sunglass guides that help your shades stay put, and aero shaping to help you more easily slip through the wind. The hits of contrasting accents inside make even the neutral colors pop. For women, Bell makes the Z20 Joy Ride version, which is the same design in a different color.

A cheap helmet isn't necessarily a bad helmet. The $25 Schwinn Thrasher (sometimes available for even less) impressed The Sweethome with its comfort and decent ventilation, and its a great bang for the buck. As The Sweethome notes, however, while the helmet doesn't compromise on safety, it does definitely look like an inexpensive helmet, and it's one size fits all (but fully adjustable), which means it'll look big on some heads and small on others.

Anyone looking for versatility and style in a helmet may want to add Bell's Annex to their shopping list. As Bicycling notes, not only does the helmet have an easily-adjustable venting system, but it comes with a range of other customizations, including an optional face shield, a removable visor, and rear mount for a safety light. However, these options will add to the cost.

If money is seriously no object and you have signed up for a pro-level time trial, the Smith Podium TT not only delivers in functionality but also style. Equipped with adjustable fit system, an airflow design for maximum aerodynamics, and lots of unique color options, the Podium TT will definitely make you stand out. It's visor, crafted by Smith, can be attached by strong magnets. If you need something for intense time-trial competitions, this could be the helmet for you.

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